WRESTLING NOTEBOOK: OJR still making a point

Owen J. Roberts’ Gordon Bolig will go for his 100th career win Wednesday when the Wildcats take on Spring-Ford in a match that will go far in determining the PAC-10 championship this season. (File photo by Bill Rudick)

For the first time in nearly two full years, or since a grind-it-out, 37-21 win over Methacton back on Jan. 26, 2011, the Wildcats surrendered 10 or more points to a PAC-10 rival when they gave up 14 in a decision of Perkiomen Valley last Wednesday. Two nights later, they gave up the exact same number in their highly-anticipated turned highly-anticlimactic win (because of illness and injuries) over Boyertown last Friday night.

But the Wildcats are not — repeat, are not — getting generous or, for that matter, getting weak.

And barring a loss at Spring-Ford on Wednesday night, they’ll get the No. 1 seed for this year’s District 1-Class AAA Team Duals, which get under way next week.

Advertisement

“We’re pretty pleased with how the kids are wrestling,” OJR head coach Steve DeRafelo said following Friday’s beating of Boyertown. “But we still have some things to work on … and we still have to get our lineup in order.”

Right now DeRafelo’s big concern, of course, is Spring-Ford.

Although the Wildcats haven’t lost to the Rams in their last four meetings, there are those who think this week’s match could be as good as the thrillers back in 2006 (when Spring-Ford nearly blew a 34-9 lead, holding on for a 34-30 win) and in 2004 (when Spring-Ford owned a 27-9 lead and held on for a 33-26 win). There are also those who think this week’s match could be as lopsided as last year, too, when Owen J. Roberts swept all but two bouts in the 52-8 thrashing.

DeRafelo doesn’t want to hear about that sort of thinking.

For that matter, neither does Spring-Ford head coach Tim Seislove.

However, if the Wildcats do indeed put a shellacking on Spring-Ford, it would sure send a statement to just how much better they are than anyone else in the district right now. OJR and Spring-Ford have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the district for most of the season. The only other teams that may be possible contenders — or legitimate contenders — right now are Boyertown (if the Bears survive the injuries and illness), Downingtown East (very solid lineup); Pennsbury (darn good, but also beaten by Spring-Ford last month); Upper Perkiomen (fighting injuries right now); and Norristown (with upwards of five guaranteed wins every match).

BERKS BATTLE

Daniel Boone finished 12th in the 15-team Berks Conference individual tournament last weekend. The Blazers had five medalists, let by Jordan LaHaise’s runner-up effort at 145 pounds. LaHaise (20-6) was joined on the medals podium by teammate Nick Limone (fourth at 160); Owen Powell (fifth at 106); Christian Fernandez (sixth at 138); and James Kramer (sixth at 152).

NO ESCAPE

As big as the Wildcats’ visit to Spring-Ford is — which more than likely will determine the Pioneer Athletic Conference champion — so will their weekend trek to the Escape The Rock Tournament, set for Saturday and Sunday at Council Rock South High School.

The 31-team field, featuring some of the premier individual talents from the Philadelphia region as well as Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia, will give the Wildcats a glimpse of what to expect when the postseason unfolds next month.

The brackets will be boom, boom, booming in Bucks County for Saturday’s opening rounds. There are absolutely no easy weight classes. None.

And 113 is absolutely sick.

OJR sophomore Derek Gulotta, for example, is a returning state medalist and noticeably better than a year ago. He is seeded sixth … that’s right, sixth.

The preliminary seeds for 113 (released Sunday), have Beast of the East champion Brent Fleetwood of Smyrna (Del.) first; defending state champion Ethan Lizak of Parkland second; returning state medalists Tanner Shoap of Chambersburg, Zach Fuentes of Norristown, and Dan Martoccio of Council Rock South seeded third, fourth and fifth, respectively; Gulotta sixth; and returning Virginia state medalists J.D. Gregory of Hanover and Brenden Velez of Brentsville seventh and eighth, respectively. At last year’s ETR, Fleetwood, Lizak and Martoccio finished first, second and third at 106, and Shoap, Fuentes and Gulotta were third, fourth and seventh at 113.

Two other interesting weight classes are at 132, where The Hill School’s Chad Saunders and OJR’s Dominick Petrucelli are seeded No. 9 and No. 10, respectively; and at 285, where OJR’s Brad Trego and Hill’s Kostya Golobokov are seeded No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

GANGING UP

When the PAC-10 Championships are held (Feb. 16) there may not be as packed a weight class as there will likely be at 126 — with Colby Frank of OJR, Sean Hennessey of Spring-Ford, Eddie Kriczky of Boyertown, and Dylan Steffenino of Upper Perkiomen (assuming they all stay where they are now). If Pottstown’s Bryant Wise and Methacton’s Joe Staley drop (which they reportedly won’t), it could create quite a scenario because only five advance to districts … where the PAC-10 survivors will likely see Garnet Valley junior Mike Marino (89 career wins) and Marple-Newtown’s Ryan Flynn (115). That’s a possible gang of eight, and only three — that’s right, just three — qualify for the Southeast Regional.

MILESTONE

Bolig, a ho-hum 14-12 as a freshman but very impressive 85-18 since, will go for his 100th career win Wednesday night at Spring-Ford. If successful, he’ll become the 10th Wildcat to reach the milestone. Hennessey (95) and Moser (91) will more than likely add their names to the prestigious list in the coming weeks.

MISCELLANY

After joining the Pioneer Athletic Conference for the 1988-89 wrestling season, the Wildcats lost 20 in a row to Spring-Ford, a skid they ended by winning the last four. … This is the seventh straight appearance in the ETR for Owen J. Roberts, which pinned down its first Top 10 finish (seventh) last year with seven individual medalists – including returnees Gulotta, Colby Frank (fourth), Demetrio D’Orsaneo (eighth) and Bolig (eighth). ... The first rounds of the AAA team duals will be held Thursday, Jan. 24th at C.B. East, Methacton, Rustin and Wissahickon, with the semifinals and finals (AAA and AA) set for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1 back at Upper Dublin.

Get updates on local teams on your phone; text PTSPORTS to 22700. Standard text messaging and data rates apply. Text STOP to 22700 to end the service, HELP for assistance.